Problems with 2012 Ford Focus VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Our 2012 ford focus electric totally shutdown after receiving the stop safely now warning alert. car shut down in traffic within 30 seconds of receiving the warning. we had no time to react or pull the car safely to the side of the road. this is clearly a safety issue. *tr

Vehicle shutters shakes and lacks acceleration when starting from a stop. this has been an on going issue that has almost caused several accidents. in february 2014, i was driving down my street to drive my daughter to school and we heard a loud grinding noise and the car lost power. i was able to coast to the side of the road. i called road side assistance and the vehicle was towed to the skagit ford dealership. i was told the front axle snapped where it goes into the transmission. i was also told that this was a ford defect by the service a adviser and he had never seen this happen in his 30 years. i notified ford several times regarding the shifting issues and brought it in for service updates and new clutch. they are also aware of the metal axle snapping and are not willing to do anything regarding this unsafe vehicle that i am now afraid to drive. i have filed complaints with ford and the attorney generals office and have not received any written confirmation that ford is taking this incident seriously. if i had been on a freeway when the last incident occurred i would probably not be writing this letter. thank you for your time. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was driving down a bumpy road at 40mph this morning, came to a stop at a stop sign, attempted to turn right and merge onto a busy highway with an 50mph speed limit, the car started to go and then all power cut out without warning and the "stop safely now" and "refer to owners manual" warnings came up on the left screen! luckily, i was not fully into the traffic yet as there were several semis coming. i veered to the shoulder and stopped. if i had got going even for a second more i would have been out in traffic in the path of a semi coming at over 50mph. it took a few minutes of trying to turn it off. eventually i opened the drivers door and that seemed to free it up to turn it off. i was then able to start it back up again and carry on with my day. *tr

Transmission issues, jerking, jumping, jolting forward, sluggish, lack of power, feels like the car is going to cut off. this happens at slow speeds, fast speeds, at a stop, idling, etc. you name a condition of the car at various speeds and it has transmission issues. i took it to ford to fix and they said it was a "known" issue, they updated the software and calibrated. it still has the same issues, the problem is not resolved. *tr

We first noticed when we bought the car that it was jerky when accelerating, was told that is the way the car drives. went on a road trip and trying to accelerate to expressway wouldn't go just revved then jerked out into traffic, we almost got killed and had to go to the shoulder to avoid accident. this happened multiple times and was very unsafe. we got to the point we were afraid to drive it, cause we didn't know when it would just rev and jerk or if it would actually work properly. it didn't matter if you just started and tried backing out or were on the road, the problem was constant. that is very dangerous on the road and you don't know when it will happen. took to dealer on july 6th and my car has been there since, it is now 6 weeks and they are replacing transmission clutches, there is a backorder of over 8,000 clutches, which means that many people have taken their car in and there is no recall for this car and we have no idea if the car will be repaired. the manufacturer of these parts does not have any in the warehouse and ford is estimating sept 7th which we doubt. this car is very unsafe cause you do not know when the transmission is going to shift. . i think there should be a recall. as of right now we have filed complaints and no longer want the car back. reading blogs we have discovered that there are still problems with the transmission on the 2012 focus after repairs. if you have this problem, file a complaint and maybe there will be a recall. they will not give you a rental unless you have an extended warranty which we luckily do, otherwise we would have been paying for a rental for who knows how long. ford sold these cars knowing that this was a problem because it was revised for the 2013. *tr

Incidence occurred twice in 2 day period. "stop safely now" error occurred while driving the vehicle. 1st instance was while breaking as approaching a stoplight. 2nd instance was while accelerating on freeway onramp. both instances i lost all engine power and could no longer accelerate. i had to coast to a safe spot to put the car into park and turn off the vehicle but was able to restart it and drive to dealership for repair. serious safety concern with this vehicle as driver may not have ability to coast to safe stop while driving on freeway or busy traffic. after researching online, there is rampant occurrence of this exact failure being described on vehicle owner forums for ford focus electric both 2012 and 2013 models. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle would lunge forward. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 9,000 and the current mileage was 20,000.

I purchased my vehicle in december of 2012 and by may of 2013, the vehicle had been in and out of the shop for months. the most substantial issue was an issue with speed control in the car while on the freeway. at about 20 miles an hour the car would have difficulty going up to 40mph, but would then jerk up to higher speeds afterward. the clutch system was replaced in the car on may 24, 2013 and seemed to be fine, but i still filed a claim with the ford motor company. last week on may 14, 2014 the began to have the same transmission issues. i contacted ford again and was told to take it in, as it was covered under the 12 months/12000 miles extended parts warranty. my car is currently back in the shop and i am concerned that this issue will not be resolved. i'm also concerned that there was already a recall on this vehicle in 2012 for transmission issues and little is being done now to rectify this dangerous issue. *js

While coming to a stop, the stop safely now warning chimed and vehicle lost all power. it would not go into park, or neutral to allow it to be pushed off the road. after several minutes of powering it on and off it eventually restarted and worked without incident until recently on 8/15/13 the same message occurred at a stoplight and the car again lost all power. after about 2 minutes it started and ran ok. *tr

When turning to make a right turn the front of the car makes a metal on metal scraping sound (intermittingly) also the transmission doesn't seem to always kick in when after coming to a complete stop the car shakes as the gas pedal is pushed. i've brought it to the dealership where i bought it and they keep telling me nothing is wrong with it, it is just how the car operates. *tr

The vehicle came to a complete stop in front of the caldecott tunnel that separates the east bay to contra costa county. the vehicle stopped in the middle of traffic during commute time. also resulted in a terrible backup on the highway. spent over 3 hours dealing with this break down that included finding care for our children and finding someone to pick her up at dealership as it was after hours. *tr

Shuttering and stalling upon acceleration.car tends to roll backwards for no apparent reason on slight incline. speed acceleration and speed deceleration at random times. car hesitates badly when accelerating on to on ramp to merge with interstate traffic or to pass a vehicle on the highway. it's luck of the day if you accelerate and actually live or get hit when car shutters and hesitates. good luck focus owners. *tr

During a tight turn on a bendy road going about 55 mph the vehicle lost all power. as if someone turned they key off. lights, infotainment, steering, brakes, everything was effected. luckily steering doesn't lockup on a ford focus. and can be steered but without power assist. once at a complete stop, the car could be restarted with no instrument lights on, as if nothing happened. *tr

Started noticing hesitation and front end shuttering on acceleration with a grinding noise from front end. between 10 -25 mph the car shutters, decelerates 5-10 mph then accelerates back up to speed. even worse while turning and on slopes. almost caused me two accidents while merging into traffic. *tr

Transmission control module problem. unexpected loss of transmission shifting while driving. problems with shuddering, vibration between gears and hesitation with the transmission. rolls backward on inclines like it is a standard but it is an automatic transmission. ford performed a reflash, relearn, and a pinpoint test. test failed and ford removed the transmission and replaced the clutch and seals on 11/05/14 per recall14m01. ford claimed that there were no other problems found with the transmission. on 12/08/2014 the shudder was back and the car bogged down to 30mph in a 55mph hwy. the situation was very scary and dangerous. i took the car back to the dealer and opened a case at 3:50 pm with [xxx], [xxx] at 1-800-392-3673. ford refuses to acknowledge there is an ongoing problem that was not fixed the first time. the ford dealership is maintaining fraudulent business practices by charging $1025.00 to fix the tcm (transmission control module) that remains dysfuntional and potentially dangerous on the road. [xxx] and [xxx] with the ford sullivan dealership claim that the recall is separate from this related transmission problem. this was my first and last new ford product. all the way around the transmission in this and many other ford focuses is a major problem for consumers and nhtsa. many deaths will happen due to fords unwillingness to address these faulty transmission components. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I put my 2012 ford focus in park and left the motor running. i got out of my car to remove a box of donations at a local salvation army when the car started to roll forward. i jumped back into my car to stop it from rolling into the person in front of me and turned the wheel while practically standing on the brake with my right foot and had my left leg outside the vechile. the car would not stop until i eventually side swiped the persons car in front of me then crashed into a pile of donated furniture and curbing in front of the building. once the car finally stopped i was able to shut the ignition off. it was just luck that i did not hurt anyone or myself. *tr

Repeated problems with transmission "slipping", lack of power, surging when finally does shift, extremely unpredictable acceleration from stop (e.g., pulling into traffic at intersections, or up hill at highway speeds). did not display problems during test drive, but at approximately 1,000 miles up to current mileage (about 2,200) it occurs every time i drive. have had three near miss accidents due to unpredictable acceleration from stops, also on highway under hill load. had dealer service check three times, first time updated software in pcm/tcm, second time with same dealer returned "no errors", tried different dealer, also "no errors" but was told other customers complained and "that's how it's designed". sent ford motor company demand for refund under california lemon law, ford customer relations center called and stated they will not pay refund at this time but requested opportunity to send special technician to local dealer. have not heard back to schedule with special technician after one week. *tr

The car shudders and hesitates on take off to the point of stalling. happens always from stop to running. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while making a left turn and depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard. the engine rpms increased excessively for approximately two seconds before the vehicle responded to acceleration attempts. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who stated that the failure could have been caused by the driver depressing the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously. the dealer performed a diagnostics test but could not generate a diagnosis nor duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was notified who stated that a representative would contact him within twenty-four hours. the contact never received a return call. the failure mileage was 19,000.

My boyfriend and i bought a 2012 ford focus se hatchback on september first. after driving the car for a couple of days my boyfriend noticed that the transmission was not right but he thought this was happening just because the car was new. then, when driving to work i noticed that when i stopped on any incline street between taking the foot off the brake and placing it on the accelerator, the car rolled back quite quickly to the point that i almost hit the car behind me. days later, i started to feel that the steering required both hands at all times. it was constantly wandering and shaky specially during turns. to top it off on september 27th something terrible happened. i was in the drive way, i shifted from reverse to drive and the car took off at a lurch. the car accelerated so rapidly even with my foot on the brake pedal. i lost complete control of the vehicle. the car failed to slow down hitting two cars and tearing down a fence. i could finally stop the car when i quickly shifted to park. i do not understand how ford sells this car with all these problems risking people's lives. this is a serious issue. how many fatalities are they waiting for? are they going to do something ever about these malfunctions? this is ridiculous if i have known all these issues with this car, i would have never bought it for sure. *tr

I bought this car with 17,000 miles on it and kept it a year and a half. i couldn't stand it anymore. when accelerating, it would shake and shudder. the automatic shifting into first and second gears was extremely jerky all the time. if i was at a complete stop and the pavement was wet, the car would bolt forward when i accelerated. twice it like stopped when i was going 70 mph on a highway. it just sort of stopped operating for a flash and then resumed movement. it was scary. i took it to a reputable ford dealership which was closer to my house than where i bought it, and they worked on it 4 different times. i came in with the same complaints every time. in addition, because the transmission was so screwy, it apparently affected the tires and i had to buy 4 new tires because the tread was so worn down. i traded it in on a new toyota. that was my first ford and my last ford. never again. the car is a menace and definitely unsafe. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle intermittently accelerated and vibrated. the vehicle was repaired under an unknown manufacturer recall, where the pcm and tcm were restarted. the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. the contact was informed that the part needed for repair was not available. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 500.

My issues with this car started the day i drove it off the lot and have not stopped. there was an issue with the fan that made my engine sound like it was chewing rocks whenever the air/heat was on - this has been fixed. i bought the car brand new and from day one it has been grinding, shuddering and not shifting smoothly. i've had issues with the rpm's skyrocketing when i'm slowing down and the rpm's skyrocketing when i'm trying to accelerate but the car isn't moving. i've had the car feel like it's completely lost power while in stop and go traffic then "wake up" and lurch forward...my transmission has been replaced once, my clutch replaced twice. once i've been told it's a figment of my imagination and once i was told that i need to learn how to drive the car. the clutch i have now is the same one being used in the 2015 focus's, and though it's "better", it's still off...it's just off so sporadically that i can't bring it in because i don't want to be told it's all in my head again. this car is not safe. it is not a car that i'm comfortable passing on to my child when she starts driving next year and it's not a car that i would drive day to day if i had to drive rush hour traffic. it's too bad, too, because the design of the car is wonderful - it's comfortable, it's got the right set up, but the most important part of the vehicle is dangerous and doesn't operate properly.

Approached stop light on a road with steep incline. came to complete stop behind several cars without incident, but when pressed gas to move at green light, gear (despite being automatic transmission) slipped and stayed in neutral, revving but not engaging. car began quickly rolling backwards. i was able to yank emergency brake just before hitting the car approaching mine from behind. similar incidences have occurred with regard to incorrect/ dangerous automatic gear changes -- sudden loss of needed gear change to enter highway from ramp (flat land) and all kinds of gear changing problems (stuck in gear several gears too low or too high) in hilly terrain. this can result in lurching as well. dealership claims normal operation and says the car isn't generating helpful codes as a result. *tr

Hesitation when starting shuddered hesitation and lunges forward on occasion . several tries to fix then finally new clutch now knocking noise when accelerate , very stressful and i do not feel safe in vehicle.also charged when had the noise checked and they did not fix.noise louder now taking back again, garage giving me a hard time. i never ever will buy a ford waiting for lemon law case to end in july and i am trading it. hoping and praying it does not wreck before then. *tr

when accelerating car jumps or hops violently. engine makes grinding/chattering noise when changing gears. experience roll back when on a slight incline. power shift 6 speed is not safe. have trouble crossing lanes of traffic for the jumping/launch judder problem. *tr

Vehicle vibrates when trying to accelarate from a complete stop. hesitates and does not want to accelarate. appears to not want to shift gears. does the same thing at low speeds as well. *tr

This car has had transmission problems with the dual clutch automatic transmission it will shudder when changing gears, rollback, come close to stalling. i took the car in to be "reprogrammed" back in june of 2012 it drove okay with only minor hiccups with transmission until october 20, 2013. the car has less than 22,000 miles on it and the car is now not shifting properly. i put the car in drive and it was like i was still in neutral, once it did get going then it did not shift into 2nd gear properly. the car is not safe to drive. i will be taking back to dealership once again to reprogram hopefully at no charge. this car is a lemon and needs to be on a mandatory recall. *tr

When car started it was at a higher idle then normal, around 1,200 rpms.. upon driving 1 mile at 45 mph i then came to a stop at a light and it would then rev from 700 rpms about to aprox 2,600 rpms and i had the engine malfunction service now light come on.. i only had the car rev when on the brakes.. in park and or neutral it was worse.. i then went to drive on green. the throttle did not respond at all and the car then speed up on its own.. it took about 20 seconds to get to 15 mph and it refused to go past that.. i then took it into the dealership for the 8th time, this time they are looking at it as before they would just reset the computer and send me off.. ford dealers have not been taking action on this beware if buying a focus that computer resets will not fix it.. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. while traveling 22 mph, the contact noticed that the vehicle had suddenly began to accelerate on its own. in order to stop the acceleration, the vehicle had to be shut off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 2,000.

I bought a 2012 ford focus sedan a couple weeks ago the next day i noticed slow jerky shuttering accerleration when at a complete stop then trying to acclerate. i did not think of anything was wrong until i researched it online finding similar complaints this is a problem and now the car is at the dealership and they currently have it. next there is a grinding noise while driving and turning sounds an example would be metal to metal on the brakes is the sound and last loose mirror when lifting the tab down to look at my daughter in the back seat the whole mirror goes down istead of slightly moving. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated that while sitting at a stop sign on a hill, the vehicle began to roll backwards until he engaged the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be reprogrammed. the failure recurred. the transmission control module was reprogrammed by the dealer again. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who stated that they would address the issue at a later date. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 1 and the current mileage was 7,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact started the vehicle and the vehicle accelerated rapidly even with the brake pedal engaged. the vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into a cement wall. there were no personal injuries. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. in addition, the manufacturer issued a customer satisfaction program under reference number 123b7 (transmission control module) and after the recall repair was performed, the vehicle rolled away with the gear in park. in order for the vehicle to remain stationary, a block was placed against the two rear tires. also, a strong antifreeze odor emitted inside of the vehicle and an oil leak was visible on the ground. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 12,917. updated 08/23/12*lj updated 09/24/2012 *js

Transmission malfunctions causing long delay/hesitation when shifting and slow/delayed acceleration. noticeable shuddering and vibration when shifting between gears and occasional hard, pronounced shift changes causing driver and passengers to lunge. this creates very dangerous driving conditions mainly because it's difficult to control the acceleration of the vehicle. the check engine light comes on and a warning message appears in the dash stating 'transmission malfunction service now' this event occurred the first week of vehicle ownership (i purchased the vehicle brand new january 2012). at that time the dealer recalibrated the transmission and it's been performing satisfactorily until recently. this event has now occurred on four other occasions with the most recent event occurring on 9/30/2014. the 9/30/2014 event was the most dangerous and severe so the vehicle is now at the dealership for service. *tr

I own a 2012 ford focus se that continues to display issues with the transmission. this includes delayed acceleration, jerking, and bucking. while i was driving on the freeway a couple of years ago the transmission control module failed resulting in the vehicle unable to shift properly. this endangered both my life and the lives of the other passengers in the vehicle. my ford focus has been in for service multiple times at different locations to include the dealership purchased from. the vehicle has been serviced both under the original warranty and the extended warranty and still displays issues with the transmission. i am having a hard time understanding why there is an extended warranty if even after i continue to explain what is happening with the vehicle the dealerships are not able to solve the problem. my concern is my safety and what ford motor company plans to do. you ask for a date as to when this happened but it has been ongoing since i purchased the car in 2012. i look forward to hearing something other than the same lines i have heard for the past 7 years regarding my vehicle.

I was stopped, at a parking lot exit, waiting to enter a thoroughfare, engine idling, with my foot lightly on the brake. suddenly, the car accelerated forward, into the traffic lane, as though someone had pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor, or nearly so. i took a 45 mph "t" bone on my driver`s side door. i was shaken, but not injured and my elderly wife suffered a severe heart bruising from the seat belt. i was wearing a tight-fitting baseball cap, which was laying on the back seat. i figure the air bag saved me from a serious injury. i was not ticketed, but i lost about $10,000.00 on the deal and i am paying a small fortune for my insurance now, through no fault of mine. i have an excellent driving history, up to this point. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated the vehicle would stall without warning. in addition, the contact experienced sudden acceleration. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told there was a problem with the computer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 600.

Tl* the contact test drove a 2012 ford focus. the contact stated while the vehicle parallel parked with the active park assist system engaged the vehicle suddenly accelerated in reverse and crashed into a parked vehicle. the contact stated the brake and accelerator pedal were not depressed. the manufacturer filed report case number 0401301881. the failure and current mileage was 10.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford focus. the contact stopped the vehicle when he noticed the accelerator pedal and brake pedal were located very close to each other. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing nor was it repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 5.

When in stop and go traffic, the vehicle lunges whenever you go back and forth from the accelerator to the brake, nearly causing several accidents. *tr